An overwhelming majority of Americans take education for granted. We have an enormous crisis on our hands, but we accept our current disastrous model as the way things have to be. By contrast, I have spent a significant portion of my life just thinking about education. I see the flaws, and I am fully convinced that I could make a positive impact on the world of education.
Although I'm confident that I can make a difference, I have struggled to find the opportunity. I have been documenting ideas I have for developing an educational rights organization, but I don't have the resources to follow through. The only other option I can think of is running for a position on the local school board.
Why don't I run for school board? In short, I don't see how I could possibly win an election. I have spent decades completely disconnected from these schools. I have no children of my own. How can I explain these things? How can I convince voters that I know a lot and can make a difference today?
Since I strongly reject conformity, my thoughts can get me into serious trouble. I don't even like social acceptability to hinder my thought process. Many voters would feel that who I am is unacceptable. Of course, this is true of all people in the modern world who maintain any semblance of individuality.
A big part of elections is campaigning. I'm not a social creature. I'm lousy at selling myself, and I would struggle with tasks such as going door to door. It would be nearly impossible for me to overcome my social struggles.
Another obstacle is credentialism. If you don't have a piece of paper from the status quo that proves your loyalty to the status quo, you are effectively prohibited from having a voice in education. I proudly lack proof of loyalty to the disastrous status quo. In the minds of others, that shows a lack of proven understanding about how education works. For many voters, this would be viewed as an automatic disqualifier when compared to incompetent individuals who bought the piece of paper.
I should also reiterate my situation with change. Although I need change in my life, I seriously struggle with how people around me respond to change. If I spontaneously decided to run for school board, the kind of attention I would receive could cause me to completely shut down.
Even if I could somehow win, there are other areas of concern. I'm not in the best financial shape. School boards are not exactly careers. I would have to add the duties of the school board to my life beyond work. As someone who has struggled with external controls on my life, I have an abnormal need for personal time. Becoming a member of a school board could eat into that personal time, potentially impacting my mental health.
I want to make a difference in the world of education. Unfortunately, I just can't see a realistic pathway. Joining a school board could at least allow me to have a small influence on the system. It could also give me some experience that I could cite when pursuing future endeavors. In the end, it's about as unrealistic as being able to create an organization focused on educational rights.
No comments:
Post a Comment